Coke oven ascension pipe decarbonising device



Aug. 21, 1962 e. E. c. RANDELL ETAL 3,049,738

COKE OVEN ASCENSION PIPE DECARBONISING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledJune 30, 1959 INVENIORS Aug. 21, 1962 G. E. c. RANDELL ETAL 3,049,738

COKE OVEN ASCENSION PIPE DECARBONISING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledJune 30, 1959 oamug @214,

- arr-a 1962 e. E. c. RANDELL ETAL. 3,049,738

COKE OVEN ASCENSION PIPE DECARBONISING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FiledJune 30, 1959 INVENTORS.

GZ'OFFEEY 0 04190 CAI/M25: AMA/0544, M62852;- 011-4 TON W/YITd/OET/l :4T'FOE Aug. 21, 1962 G. E. c. RANDELL ETAL 3,049,733

COKE OVEN ASCENSION PIPE DECARBONISING DEVICE Filed June 30, 1959 5Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN'I 0R5 arc/weer sou/4m: anew awn-44,

United States Patent M 3,049,738 COKE OVEN ASCENSEON PIPE DEJARBONISINGDEVICE Geofirey Edward Charles Randell and Herbert Milton Whitworth,London, England, assignors to Woodaii- Duckham Construction CompanyLimited, London, England, a British company Filed June 30, 1959, Ser.No. 823,995 3 Claims. (Cl. -5)

This invention concerns improvements in or relating to the removal ofhard deposits from the interiors of pipes and the like of industrialplants and has especial reference to the removal of carbon and likedeposits from the ascension or riser pipes (hereinafter called ascensionpipes) of coal carbonising plants and, in particular, of horizontal cokeovens with respect to which the invention will hereinafter be moreparticularly described.

In horizontal coke oven batteries it is customary to have an ascensionpipe extending upwardly from at least one end of each oven chamber tolead away the gases produced therein. Sometimes there is an ascensionpipe at only one end of each oven chamber but frequently there is onesuch ascension pipe at each end of each chamber. The ascension pipes areconnected at their upper ends to elbows which connect the ascensionpipes to the gas main or mains, each elbow having at its upper part anoblique face sloping downwardly towards the top of the battery of ovensand furnished with an inspection opening covered by a hinged orremovable lid. It is customary for rails to be provided on the top ofthe coke oven battery, on which rails a charging car is traversable forcharging the oven chambers in a predetermined sequence.

Heavy and hard deposits of carbon accumulate upon the interior surfaceof the elbows of the ascension pipes, and these deposits areparticularly thick and intractable in the vicinity of the necks of theascension pipes. It is therefore customary, after the discharging of anoven chamber, and before the re-charging of such chamber, to remove atleast the heavier carbon deposits from the elbows and adjoining parts ofthe ascension pipes. This operation is at present performed manually byan operator standing upon a platform at one end of the charging car, whoinserts a crow-bar-like implement through the opened inspection hole ofthe ascension pipe which he is to decarbonise and, by a chipping type ofoperation, proceeds to decarbonise the pipe. This manual method ofdecarbonising the ascension pipes is unsatisfactory, since it is slowand arduous as well as being uncomfortable for the operator due to thehigh temperature prevailing in the neighbourhood of the ascension pipeelbows, this temperature usually being somewhere in the region of 500800C.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a means wherebyascension pipe and like decarbonising operations may be effected bypower operated means instead of purely by manual effort.

According to one aspect of this invention there is provided apparatusfor use in the removal of hard deposits from, or decarbonising orcleaning (hereinafter all referred to as decarbonising), the interiorsof pipes and the like of industrial plants, such apparatus comprising arotary abrading element, means for driving said abrading element, andmeans for supporting said element adjacent the pipe to be decarbonisedwhilst leaving the element free for movement relatively to saidsupporting means in the direction of the axis of rotation of the elementand also transversely of such axis, whereby the abrading element may beadvanced into or withdrawn from the said pipe and whilst in the pipe maybe traversed around the interior of the latter and along the same toeffect the decarbonising thereof.

3,049,733 Patented Aug. 21, 1962 The invention is particularlyapplicable to the decarbonising of the elbows and necks of the ascensionpipes of a horizontal coke oven battery, and where used for this purposethe said supporting means are preferably adapted for mounting on, or areincorporated in the structure of, the charging car of the battery so asto traverse along the battery with the charging car, although, ifdesired, the said supporting means could be mounted on a separatecarriage traversable along the battery independently of the chargingcar. Where the battery has two rows of ascension pipes the decarbonisingapparatus would preferably be duplicated, there being one such apparatusfor decarbonising the ascension pipes of each of said rows.

Thus, according to a further aspect of the invention, there is provideda charging car for a horizontal coke oven battery, such charging carhaving at or near at least one end thereof apparatus for decarbonisingthe interior of the elbows and necks of ascension pipes of the battery,such apparatus comprising a rotary abrading element, means for drivingsaid abrading element, and means for supporting said element on thecharging car for movement relatively to the latter in such manner thatthe abrading element can be introduced into the elbow and neck of anascension pipe and moved along and around the interior surfaces of theseparts to decarbonise the same.

According to a further feature of the invention, the said rotaryabrading element is fixed upon a shaft borne by an arm carried by saidsupporting means, such shaft being capable of adjustment both in thedirection of its length and angularly, in order that said abnadingelement may be traversed along and around the surfaces to bedecarbonised thereby.

Thus, according to a further aspect of the invention, there is providedapparatus for use in the decarbonising of the interiors of pipes and thelike of industrial plants, such apparatus comprising a rotary abradingelement, a shaft to one end of which said rotary abrading element isattached so as to rotate with the shaft, bearing meansfor such shaft, anarm carrying said bearing means, supporting means by which the said armis carried so as to be adjustable both angularly and in the direction ofits length in order that the said rotary abrading element may beintroduced into or withdrawn from the pipe or the like to bedecarbonised and, after insertion into such pipe or the like, may beadjusted along and around the latter to decarbonise the internal surfacethereof, and power operated means for driving the said shaft.

The said arm is preferably so mounted on the said supporting means as tobe swivellable with respect thereto and conveniently is attached to saidsupporting means bya universal joint or a gimbal ring arrangement.

Preferably, rather than the said arm being axially or longitudinallyadjustable with respect to the supporting means, the latter are mountedfor adjustment towards and away from the pipe or the like to bedecarbonised. However, alternatively or in addition, the arm may beadjustable in the direction of its length with respect to the saidsupporting means, e.g. it may be axially slidable with respect to thesaid universal joint or the said gimbal ring.

Preferably, in applying the invention to the decarbonising of theascension pipes of coke ovens, said supportmg means are mounted on acarriage itself carried by the charging car of the battery and which istraversable along this charging car in the direction of the length ofthe latter.

With such an arrangement means are preferably provided for preventingthe movement of the charging car in the direction of the length of thecoke oven battery until the decarbonising apparatus has been withdrawnto its inoperative position.

The shaft by which the abrading element is carried is convenientlydriven by an electric motor but it may be operated by any other suitablepower unit, such as a pneumatic or hydraulic motor for example.

Preferably the abrading element is fixed to one end of its driving shaftand the said motor is arranged at the opposite end of such shaft.Desirably this shaft is rigid, the abrading element being arranged atone end of the arm by which the shaft is carried and said motor beinglocated at the other end of such arm, this arm being preferablyswivellingly mounted at a substantially fixed posi tion between its endsupon the said supporting means, so that the weight of the abradingelement at one end of the arm is substantially counterbalanced by thatof the motor at the other end of the latter.

Preferably handle means, whereby the arm may be manipulated, arefurnished adjoining the end of said arm remote from the abradingelement.

The said arm is preferably of tubular form to constitute a housing forsaid shaft and its bearings, and desirably means are provided forcooling at least those parts of the abrading apparatus that are insertedinto the pipe or the like to be decarbonised. Thus the said tubular armmay be furnished with longitudinally spaced ports for the circulation ofair therethrough, an impeller or fan being provided to effect suchcirculation.

Preferably the said tubular arm is enlarged at one portion thereof toform a housing for the said impeller or fan, the latter being carried bythe said shaft so as to be driven by the said motor. This arrangement isparticularly suitable where the power unit is an electric motor, butWhere a pneumatic motor is employed the cooling may be effected by coolair currents exhausted from such motor. Alternatively the cooling airmay be provided by an entirely separate fan or cooling unit. In a stillfurther alternative water or other cooling liquids could be employed ifdesired.

The said abrading element may be of the flail type or may compromise orinclude a rotary wire brush. Preferably it will be a combination of theflail and wire brush types, having peripheral flails and an axiallydirected wire brush, the flails serving primarily to clean theperipheral internal surfaces of the pipes being decarbonised and thewire brush serving to decarbonise surfaces more readily accessible bysuch brush than by the said flails, for example the internal surfaces ofthe lids of ascension pipes of horizontal coke oven batteries.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, certainembodiments of the same will now be described, by way of example, asapplied to the cleaning or decarbonising of the ascension pipes of ahorizontal coke oven battery, these embodiments of the invention beingillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 illustrates an application of this invention to a horizontalcoke oven battery which is diagrammatically illustrated in the figurepartly in transverse cross-section;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the embodiment of the inventionillustrated in FIGURE 1, FIGURE 2 being drawn to a larger scale thanFIGURE 1 and only showing one of the decarbonising apparatus;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional plan on line IIIIII, FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged part longitudinal vertical section through apart of the decarbonising head of the apparatus;

FIGURE 5 is a section on line V-V, FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 illustrates diagrammatically in side elevation a furtherembodiment of the invention;

"FIGURE 7 diagrammatically illustrates a modification of the arrangementshown in FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 illustrates a still further alternative embodiment of theinvention; and

FIGURE 9 is a section on line IX-IX, FIGURE 8.

Referring to FIGURE 1 it will be seen that the roof of a coke ovenbattery is depicted at 1. On the roof of the battery are longitudinallyarranged rails 2 on which rides a charging car 3 shown in dot-and-dashlines in the figure. At each end of each oven chamber 4 of the batteryis provided an upstanding riser or ascension pipe having an elbow 6 atits upper end furnished with a lid 7 hinged to the ascension pipe at 8so as to be capable of being opened as indicated at the left of FIGURE 1and in FIG- URE 2.

In all the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings the decarbonising apparatus is carried by the charging car ofthe coke oven battery but it will be realised that, if desired, aseparate car could be provided to carry the decarbonising apparatus. InFIGURE 1 of the drawings each oven of the battery is shown having anascension pipe 5 at each end but it will be appreciated that in somecases only one ascension pipe may be provided for each oven, in whichcases decarbonising apparatus will be required only at one end of thecharging car.

By the ends of the charging car as referred to herein are meant thoseportions of the latter which lie nearest to the ascension pipes 5. i

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG- URES 1 to 5, thedecarbonising apparatus comprises a decarbonising head generallyindicated by the reference 9, which is supported for substantiallyuniversal pivoting upon an upwardly and outwardly (with reference to thecharging car) directed outrigger arm or bracket 10 fixed to a carriage11 reciprocable in guide rails 12 extending longitudinally of thecharging car 3 upon a horizontal platform 13 suspended from the chassisof the charging car.

The decarbonising head comprises an arm 14 in the form of a tubularhousing 13 enlarged in diameter at its inner end 16, this housingcontaining bearings 17 and 18 which are journalled to a shaft 19 whichis coaxial with the housing and is coupled at 20 to the shaft 21 of anelectric motor 22 fixed to the inner end of the enlarged portion 16 ofthe housing. The arm 14 is rigidly fixed intermediate its ends, andrelatively near to the junction of the enlarged end portion 16 with thenarrower portion of the housing 15, to a collar 23 having a dependentstud 24 which is pivotal about a vertical axis in a bifurcated lug 25mounted on a horizontal pivot 26 carried by an upstanding lug 27 fixedto the upper end of the supporting bracket 10, the arm 14 thus beingcapable of substantially universal movement, it being adjustable bothabout the vertical axis of the pivot bolt 24 and about the horizontalaxis of the pivot 26. Because the carriage 11 is reciprocable along thehorizontal rails 12, the arm 14, and consequently the entiredecarbonising head 9, is movable towards and away from the correspondingascension pipe 5 of the battery 1.

The outer end of the shaft 19 carries a rotary abrading head 28 which isinterchangeably screwed on the end of the shaft and fixed thereon by alock nut 29. This abrading head 2-8 may be of any appropriate form withperipheral abrading means, but is conveniently of thefiail type andpreferably includes a wire brush 30.

As will be seen from FIGURES 4 and 5, the abrading head shown comprisesa pair of coaxial plates between which are arranged groups of peripheralflails 31 at intervals therearound, these flails being flung outwardlyby centrifugal force as the abrading head 28 rotates in use. The flails31 are particularly suitable vfor decarbonising the peripheral surfacesof an ascension pipe elbow, whilst the wire brush 30 is directed axiallyand is primarily intended for use in cleaning the inside surface of theascension pipe lid 7 as shown in dash-and-dot lines in FIGURE 2, butalso serves for use in cleaning the interior of the ascension pipe elbowparticularly around the inner bend 32.

The decarbonising head is of substantially balanced form, the motor 22and the adjoining parts that are on the right of the pivot 26 (as theapparatus is seen in FIG- URE 4) substantially counterbalancing theabrading head 28 and the other parts of the apparatus to the left of thepivot 26.

To assist in the manipulation of the decarbonising head, a stirrup typehandle 33 is provided at the motor end of the head.

As the temperature in the vicinity of an elbow 6 of an ascension pipe ofa horizontal coke oven battery, at the time when decarbonising of suchan elbow is likely to take place, is very high and generally in theregion of SOD-800 C., it is desirable not only to use suitable heatresistant materials in the construction of the parts of thedecarbonising apparatus, or at least of those parts which are subjectedto the highest temperatures, but also to provide cooling means for theseparts of the apparatus.

Thus the bearing or bearings for the shaft 19 may be formed of sinteredcast iron impregnated with molybdenum di-sulphide and the shaft itselfmay be made of heat resistant steel. Whilst any appropriate coolingsystem may be used it is convenient to provide radial vents 34 and 35 atopposite ends of the housing and to provide the shaft 19 with animpeller 36 which circulates air through the housing for cooling thelatter and the parts therein. This cooling may be supplemented byadditional cooling air or by water or other cooling liquids.

If desired, a removable heat shield may be inserted into the ascensionpipe in advance of the decarbonising apparatus to protect the parts ofthe latter which are inserted into such pipe.

The carriage 11 will preferably be traversed along the guide rails 12merely by manual action on the stirrup handle 33, although poweroperated means could be provided for moving the carriage if desired. Inany case, it is preferred to provide an interlocking arrangement betweenthe driving mechanism of the charging car and the carriage 11 so thatthe charging car cannot be traversed along the roof of the coke ovenbattery until the carriage 11 has been withdrawn to its innermostposition, i.e. the position shown at the righthand side of FIGURE 1 ofthe drawings. It is usual for the charging car to be propelledelectrically along the roof of a coke oven battery and it is thereforeconvenient to include in the control circuit of such charging car alimit switch 37 which is adapted automatically to interrupt the drive tothe charging car Whenever the carriage 11 is moved from its innermostposition shown at the right of FIGURE 1. In a simple arrangement thelimit switch may be operated by a bracket 38 on the carriage 11, whichco-operate with the two arms of a bell crank lever 39 forming theoperating member of the limit switch 37, a horizontal portion 40 of thebracket 38 effecting the movement of the lever 39 to and from its on andoff positions according to the movement of the carriage 11, as will beclear from consideration of FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings.

In FIGURE 6 is illustrated an alternative form of the invention in whichthe drive to the abrading head 28 is effected with the aid of a flexibleshaft 41 which replaces or supplements the rigid shaft 19, the flexibleshaft 41 passing into the interior of the arm 14. In this case theelectric driving motor 22' is conveniently carried on the charging car 3independently of the arm 14'. Furthermore, the arm 14 is in this caseslidable axially through a gimbal ring 42 diagrammatically illustratedin FIGURE 6 and supported upon a triangulated tubular outrigger arm orbracket 43 fixed to the charging car. The inner end of the arm 14' isfurnished with a handle 33.

The arm 14 is thus capable of axial movement through the gimbal ring 42and also of being adjusted angularly in all directions.

FIGURE 7 illustrates a modification of the arrangement shown in FIGURE6, the arm 14' being carried by a dependent bracket 43' fixed at itsupper end to the charging car 3. In this arrangement the arm 14' ismounted in a bearing 44 readily detachable from the outrigger arm orbracket 43' so that the arm 14 may be readily disconnected from thebracket when desired. The motor 22" may, if desired, be mounted oncastors or rollers and rails so as to be freely traversable on thecharging car as the arm 14 is moved endwise. A flexible shaft may bereadily detachable from the motor.

In the modification illustrated in FIGURES 8 and 9 the arrangement issimilar to that described with reference to FIGURES 1 to 5 but insteadof the decarbonising head 9 being carried on a bracket 10 it is mountedon a reciprocable carriage, the head 9 being mounted in a gimbal ring4-5 carried by a bracket 46 suspended from any appropriate part 47 ofthe charging car. The arm 14 of the decarbonising head is axiallyslidable through the inner ring 48 of the gimbal ring 45.

Where the abrading element is of the flail type above described andwhere it is of about six to eight inches in diameter, it may be arrangedto rotate at between 1,500 and 2,000 revolutions per minute but, ofcourse, the peripheral speed of the rotary abrading element will dependupon the form of this element and the type of work it is expected toperform. In using a decarbonising or cleaning apparatus according tothis invention and any of the alternative embodiments of the same abovedescribed, the lid 7 of the ascension pipe to be decarbonised or cleanedis opened and the charging car 3, if

" not already over that oven chamber of the battery which correspondswith the said ascension pipe, is registered with the latter so as todispose the supporting member or bracket 10, 43, 43' or 47 for the arm14, 14', in alignment with the ascension pipe, and then the arm 14, 14'(which is so far in a retracted position, for example as indicated atthe right of FIGURE 1) is advanced axially with its carriage or throughits supporting bracket or mem her so as to introduce the rotary abradingelement into the neck of the ascension pipe. The electric motor 22, 22'or 22 is then started and the arm 14 is adjusted longitudinally andangularly as is necessary to cause the rotary abrasive element totraverse the internal surface of the elbow 6 both peripherally and alongthe same thereby stripping or abrading from such surface any harddeposits thereon.

It will readily be understood that the decarbonising head can be usedfor cleaning or decarbonising the inside surfaces of the ascension pipelids, and to facilitate this operation it is preferred to arrange stopmeans such as an abutment 4? (FIGURE 2) to limit the opening movement ofthe ascension pipe lid, so that the latter will be presented to theabrading head in a position somewhat as indicated in FIGURE 2 of thedrawings.

What is claimed:

1. Apparatus for decarbonising the interior of the elbows and necks of arow of gas ascension pipes each in a row at the top of a battery ofhorizontal coking chambers having a coal charging car movable over thetop of the battery alongside the row of ascension pipes into positionfor charging the chambers of the battery severally, said apparatuscomprising: a portion of said coal charging car located alongside saidrow of ascension pipes, a rotary abrading element, means including arotary shaft for driving said abrading element, supporting means forsupporting said shaft for movement toward and from the ascension pipes,so that the abrading element can be introduced into and withdrawn fromthe elbow and neck of each ascension pipe, and for movement of the shaftso that the abrading element can be moved along and around the interiorsurfaces of the elbows and necks when the abrading element is insertedin the ascension pipes to decarbonise the same, said supporting meansbeing mounted on said portion of the coal charging car in a position onsaid portion to spot the abrading element in line with the elbows andnecks of the ascension pipes for the respective oven chambers when thecoal charging car is in position over the several oven chambers forcharging the same, and means for preventing movement of the charging carin the direction of the length of the coke oven battery until thedecarbonising apparatus has been withdrawn to its inoperative position.

2. Apparatus for decarbonising the interior of the elbows and necks of arow of gas ascension pipes each in a row at the top of a battery ofhorizontal coking chambers having a coal charging car movable over thetop of the battery alongside the row of ascension pipes into positionfor charging the chambers of the battery severally, said apparatuscomprising: a portion of said coal charging car located alongside saidrow of ascension pipes, a rotary abrading element, means including arotary shaft for driving said abrading element, supporting means forsupporting said shaft for movement toward and from the ascension pipes,so that the abrading element can be introduced into and withdrawn fromthe elbow and neck of each ascension pipe, and for movement of the shaftso that the abrading element can be moved along and around the interiorsurfaces of the elbows and necks when the abrading element is insertedin the ascension pipes to decarbonise the same, said supporting meansbeing mounted on said portion of the coal charging car in a position onsaid portion to spot the a'brading element in line with the elbows andnecks of the ascension pipes for the respective oven chambers when thecoal charging car is in position over the several oven chambers forcharging the same, said shaft being supported by bearings in a tubulararm which is furnished with longitudinally spaced ports for thecirculation of air therethrough, and an impeller fan being provided onthe shaft to effect circulation of cooling air.

3. Apparatus for decarbonising the interior of the elbows and necks of arow of gas ascension pipes each in a row at the top of a battery ofhorizontal coking chambers having a coal charging car movable over thetop of the battery alongside the row of ascension pipes into positionfor charging the chambers of the battery severally, said apparatuscomprising: a portion of said coal charging car located alongside saidrow of ascension pipes, a rotary abrading element, said abrading elementcomprising an axially directed wire brush and peripherally arrangedseries of flails, means including a rotary shaft for driving saidabrading element, supporting means for supporting said shaft formovement toward and from the ascension pipes, so that the abradingelement can be introduced into and Withdrawn from the elbow and neck ofeach ascension pipe, and for movement of the shaft so that the abradingelement can be moved along and around the interior surfaces of theelbows and necks when the abrading element is inserted in the ascensionpipes to decarbonise the same, said supporting means being mounted onsaid portion of the coal charging car in a position on said portion tospot the abrading element in line with the elbows and necks of theascension pipes for the respective oven chambers when the coal chargingcar is in position over the several oven chambers for charging the same.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,014,333 Saeger Jan. 9, 1912 1,058,091 Nirascou Apr. 8, 1913 1,370,767Sperling Mar. 8, 1921 1,413,928 Mturnmert et al Apr. 25, 1922 1,864,027Pedersen June 21, 1932 2,213,533 Puening Sept. 3, 1940 2,244,586 VenableJune 3, 1941 2,283,521 Weinland May 19, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 358,330Great Britain Oct. 8, 1931 514,261 Italy Feb. 9, 1955 657,981 GermanyMar. 18, 1938

